Small Gestures
by SakuraCrevellari
Summary: He saw that necklace, and in that moment he felt the impulse to return it to it's rightful owner.


The necklace had caught his attention one simple day.

When he went outside for a walk, he didn't have a particular purpose. He just wanted to walk, to stretch his legs, to breathe some fresh air. However, suddenly he was walking hurriedly inside an antique store he never had seen before on his usual route, just because he saw a piece of jewellery that caught his attention.

Before he noticed, he was already paying at the register, attended by a young lady with white hair (_maybe dyed? _He thought absently), who smiled gently but talked very little, just enough to let him know about the price and thank his purchase.

But when Zuko was crossing the threshold, thinking about returning to his home, he thought the girl said "it's the perfect gift for her".

Nevertheless, he decided to not mind it.

Once in his bedroom, he examined the small package he had acquired impulsively. The necklace had been placed on a special white box, where it shined every time he picked up the lid to take a look, before closing it again, embarrassed.

And that was because he knew who could be a perfect match for that particular piece.

_Idiot, idiot, idiot._

He imagined her wearing the necklace, and blushed furiously. He had to cover with one of his pillows the envelope in order to settle down the beating of his heart, which had sped up at the prospect of delivering the gift.

He fell on his bed and sighed, looking at the ceiling. It was only recently that the initial misunderstood had cleared between them, allowing to their relationship be more like a blossoming friendship and less forced coexistence.

Definitely, it wasn't a position that allowed him to give spontaneous presents in a "I saw this and made me think about you" kinda way, even if it was what had happened.

So he decided to not think more about.

Granted, he wasn't the best to follow his own advices.

Against his previous decision, he had placed the delicate package inside his bag before heading to college, where he would eventually see her. Now, to actually deliver it was an entirely different issue, and as the hours of the day kept going by, he felt that a big neon sign was pointing to his bag and what there was.

Eventually he had a break, so he decided to refuge himself on the cafeteria the institution had, wanting to eat something, clear his mind and breathe a little before his next class.

Wouldn't it be nice if things always went as planned?

Because there, hoarding one of the tables that had easy access to electric power and surrounded by cans of cold coffee, textbooks, a laptop and food half-started, was here working like she was running out of time.

His first reaction was to smile softly and sit at the same table, forgetting for a second how nervous he had felt up to that moment.

The bags under her eyes were very visible on the tan skin the young girl had, even when she was trying to conceal them under the glasses she used every time she needed to work. Her long dark hair was styled in a messy pony tail, and she was wearing a pair of simple jeans and a blue sweatshirt, the uniform of the exhausted students.

Was it weird that he found her incredibly adorable?

He was careful in order to not make a noise, because he didn't want to break her focus. He brought out one of his notebooks so he could quietly study for his next class, until she suddenly laid on the back of her chair, stretched her arms and yawned.

That's when she noticed his presence.

– Zuko! – Shocked, she started to hurriedly clean, stacking into manageable amounts the trash that was decorating her work zone. – I didn't notice you were there… I'm sorry.

He shook his head. – Don't worry, I noticed you were in a hurry. Project? – He stood briefly, took the trash, and discarded it on one of the cans that was near.

When he was back at the table, Katara nodded while sighing, thankful for the help and terribly tired. – Yes. It has been quite the struggle to find the material to sustain this essay, and even if I work better during the night I'm feeling half dead already. Or maybe I want to kill somebody, jury's still out there.

– When was the last time you slept?

– …Since Thursday?

– Katara, it's Wednesday. What the hell. I'm surprised you still hadn't passed out. – He took a quick glance to the half eaten food that was still there, and sighed when noticed that neither of them had nutritional value. – For someone so careful with what you eat, this is certainly a surprise.

She let her head fall on the table, bending her arms down it in order to use them as an improvised pillow. – I'm not in the mood to cook. And if I allow Sokka to, we would only eat burgers, so at least I have some variety in the convenience store…

– …When starts your next class? – Truth be told, he already knew the answer. It wasn't something planned, but when he realized he had already memorized her schedule. Sort of.

– In 40 minutes, I think… – She answered, yawning again, this time against the table, which made him giggle. – Don't laugh at me, goddammit. – The fatigue made Katara drag her words a little bit more every second.

Zuko stood again, and before he headed towards the counter, he stroked briefly her hair. – Wait here.

Because she was so tired, she almost didn't notice that caress, but even when she indeed noticed it, she allowed herself to not think about that (at least in that moment, but she definitely would remember it that night, before sleeping).

He was back soon, holding a tray where a steamy soup plate had been placed, and the smell raised Katara's appetite. – It's not much, but there's nothing better than a nice bowl of soup for the soul.

– You didn't have to…

– But I wanted to, so don't worry about it. – He smiled while sitting down on the chair he previously had occupied, and placing the tray in front of the girl with eyes as blue as the sea. – Bon appétit.

Soon, the time where both had to go back to their respective classes arrived, and Zuko lamented this while picking his belongings. When he was packing the notebooks he had used, his gaze fixed on the package he had bought the day before, sitting at the bottom of the bag. Then, he raised his eyes to contemplate the girl who was definitely stronger than him, physically and emotionally.

And this time, he didn't feel any shame.

– Here. – He gave her the small present, and she received it, confused. – You've been working hard.

– I don't understand…? But thank you, weirdo. – Katara smiled brightly, and he felt that everything had been worth it.

Zuko's gift had taken her by surprise, but she decided to not open the white box until she finished with the activities of the day and was in her bedroom, resting at last. After all, that was the last day (during the foreseeable future) to deliver her assignments, so once everything was cleared she had planned to sleep as much as possible.

Or so she thought, until she opened the lid and found there a necklace that, although simple, was breathtakingly beautiful. It was constituted by a navy blue ribbon and a heavy round pendant in a turquoise colour which, given the material it was, seemed to shine imitating a calm sea.

The pendant also had engraved in black a symbol she recognized as belonging to one of the Water Tribes that existed in the past, but she couldn't remember if it was from the Northern or the Southern tribe, so once she recovered her breathing she decided to look up in the internet about it.

A few keys pressed later, and she felt thankful to be alone in that moment, since everything she found made her blush furiously.

_It's a betrothal necklace… Stupid, stupid, stupid. How can you give away something like that? Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

…But, truth be told, that didn't stop her to use it from that day on, especially because later she noticed that, every time she and Zuko crossed paths, the young man would blush faintly at the sight of the jewellery piece hanging around her neck.

She didn't stop to use it, even after that time one of the History students casually mentioned the purpose her necklace served in the past, makin Aang, Sokka, Suki and Toph lose her minds while watching Zuko's, who reached new levels of red never before seen on a human face, and also started to choke with the drink he had been consuming at the time.

Katara only laughed from the bottom of her heart while telling the confused historian "I already knew that".


End file.
